Movies Watched This Week: The Hills Have Eyes, First Blood and More

Jay GumbsOctober 21, 2013

This week I watched a handful of movies, most of which I’ve seen before. I went through my old man’s stash of bootlegged dvds again and found these movies which I watched while I recovered from the flu.

Some of these movies my girlfriend selected because she had never seen them.

Here’s what I watched this week:

First Blood (1982)

This was the first Rambo movie and I saw this a couple years ago, probably not for the first time but for the first time that I remembered.

It’s not the ultra-violent Rambo from maybe the sequel and other Rambo movies. The title of this movie was rebranded though as Rambo: First Blood, I guess so people could know it’s a Rambo movie.

I like the story of Rambo in the American setting as they build his character as someone who is trying to get used to post-war life and is pushed by corrupt cops into defending himself through guerrilla warfare.

Great story. Good movie and I need to see the sequels which I’m sure I’ve seen before (not the remake though) but I just can’t remember how they went since I saw them long ago as a child.

Stepping Razor: Red X (1993)

I saw this movie at a local cinema during the 1990’s. It’s about the late reggae legend Peter Tosh and the incidents surrounding his shooting death in 1987.

It also gives you an intimate look at the reggae star’s life as told through various video recordings and through his close friends.

You really can’t go wrong with a documentary like this about one of the legendary Wailers. One of the best parts, which I didn’t realize was included in this movie was his SIR studios rant which was used as a sample for Sean Price’s Haraam off Mic Tyson.

Oh, and the revelation that Peter Tosh believed that he couldn’t die.

The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

I saw this movie around the time it came out but on DVD but watched it again this week with my girlfriend.

It’s a well made horror movie by Wes Craven, a remake of his 1977 horror by the same name. It features a well known formula – the family on their way to somewhere, takes a shortcut and never makes it out. They get offed one by one by some freaks in the desert and struggle to survive the terror.

Not really scary to me (I’m not that easily scared) but it’s a well done horror movie. It has enough gore and terror and the action never really slows up once it gets started.

The Hills Have Eyes II (2007)

The sequel to me was crap.

It focused on some military personnel who went back to the same area where the first movie took place. They’re again confronted by the mutants who terrorize the group, inflicting terror and gory killings.

Not much interest was given from me for this one – a forgettable sequel.

Eastern Condors (1988)

This is the only movie on the list that I hadn’t seen before (besides the crappy horror sequel above). My girlfriend didn’t want to watch it, because the DVD cover looked like it was going to be a war movie.

I found this movie thoroughly enjoyable with lots of action and lots of funny moments. It stars Sammo Hung, who I first got to know from Martial Law, a short-lived TV series that he did for CBS back in the late 90s.

It was also directed by Hung who usually makes his movies with humor and action.

The movie follows a group of Chinese-American prisoners turned mercenaries who have to go to Vietnam to destroy a stock of weapons left over from the war. They’re promised their freedom and money once they complete the mission.

I definitely enjoyed all the action in this movie and also the funny moments especially the giggling general who looks like a nerd but fights like a machine.

Dick Tracy (1990)

Finally, I almost skipped over this because the DVD cover indicated that it might have been the TV series but when I popped in the DVD it was indeed the Warren Beatty movie from 1990 which also featured Madonna and Al Pacino.

This is another movie that I’ve seen before as well. It’s a nice adaptation of the comic book detective series with Al Pacino delivering a great performance as the bad guy here.

I watched it twice the same night for some reason. I guess it’s that good of a movie. Either that or I didn’t really want to watch anything else.

If you’re looking for any of these movies you may be able to find them by checking out Amazon Prime’s free 30 day trial where you can stream all the movies and tv shows you want and get free two day shipping on millions of items.

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